Why you are here
by NanakiloverBrukaoru
Summary: [AU] Sent to kill Kanryuu, Kaoru encounters a man who kills him for her. Then she is taken away by this man. With a cross-shaped scar, red hair, and amber eyes will she ever know who this man is? B&K. R&R! Please?
1. The moment I met you

'...' = Thoughts  
  
"..." = Speaking  
  
[Information containing anything to do with the Japanese customs I use in this story will be at the bottom of the chapters. Author responses to any reviews will be put on the bottom of chapters in the future also.]  
  
Chapter 1: The moment I met you...  
  
'I never thought; Never could or would think about... killing... someone, anyone. I never want to see death, not ever again, especially killing someone by my own hands. How did this happen to me?... I remember...'  
  
Flashback:  
  
I was so little, I wouldn't have known what a prostitute was. But I heard whispers when we walked by people, me and my mom that is, people called my mom that. I didn't know if it was good or bad. And I never saw the point of asking my mom anyway, she said I was too young to understand... And like a good little girl, I never asked her again. My father had died years before my mom took on a... Mysterious job, I used to call it. She would go out after she thought I was asleep; around midnight and not come home until sunrise. One night I had found out about it; I couldn't sleep because of a childish nightmare I was having, and I awoke as my mother was leaving. I called out to her but she didn't seem to hear me for she continued out the gate of my father's dojo. I followed her; I was so tired when she finally stopped, she stood in front of a dirty old building. She tapped at the door very lightly, probably to not wake any neighboring people up. A man slid the door open loudly and roughly pulled my mom inside, sliding the door shut. By the time I got the courage to get closer to the building I heard screams and shouts that sounded like... mother. Like she was hurting bad and being tortured. I listened longer until it became too much for me. I ran, ran anywhere my feet would take me. However I had the streets of Tokyo engraved in my mind and my feet seemed to take me right back to my home; the only thing my father had left me and my mother. I ran to my room and cried into my pillow. I didn't knew how long I had been crying but when I finally stopped it was because I felt my mom shake me and embrace me in a hug.   
  
She asked what was wrong. I had to think of something so I lied.. I wanted to yell, scream, or shout anything to make her let me know why she was letting someone hurt her so much... But I just cowardly told her I had a nightmare... And she believed me, like any parent would do. I fell asleep, still in my mother's arms. Months later several men came to see my mother. I called out to her and she came out of the kitchen and asked me what I wanted. I pointed to the men and her eyes widened she no longer smiled and she quickly; roughly grabbed me and locked me in our storage building from the outside. I cried out to know what was going on and then I heard a blood-curdling scream and moments later blood flooded into the doorway underneath my feet. I shrieked and stepped back the farthest I could and started to cry. I cried because I didn't know what was going on; when I was going to get out of here; and what they were going to do with mother. While I was crying I didn't hear the doors open; until I was stood up by a man who grabbed my arm so tightly I cried out in pain. He pushed me out the door in which I shrieked because of all of the blood I had to step on, I followed the trail of blood until I saw the other men digging a huge hole next to where the blood trail had ended... It was my mother she was a pale white, and the blood was coming from her. I screamed and tried to run to her but the man from before hung me like a sack over his shoulder and walked away; My vision was blurred from all the water filling in my eyes, but that was the last I ever saw of my mother.  
  
'I found out later what prostitute meant, and I knew why she had taken the job. My family's name Kamiya was disrespected; everyone hated us just because of our name. That meant that nobody would want to hire her and she was forced to be a prostitute to feed me and herself. It was due to a relative of mine, my grandfather on my father's side. During the beginning of the Tokugawa Era, he was a member of a small group who fought local yakuza group's without any of the police's help. Somehow, as I was told, he somehow helped some of the yakuza members and they got a chance to murder hundreds of people in Tokyo. For this, noone spoke to the Kamiya's again and my father had very few students, ones who stayed loyal to him. The men had taken me and used me like a orphan slave. No one knew...'  
  
The Present:  
  
She felt ugly, so ugly. Next to beautiful women, she was standing in a line of gorgeous women in a very rich mansion. Held by a man named Kanryuu; he was picking out some of the women there to be his own private prostitutes; ones that would serve him only. Kaoru was supposed to kill him, though she could not know how she could with all his personal body guards surrounding the place. Finally it was her turn, her breath caught, what if she wasn't accepted? What if she couldn't carry out her orders? What if...   
  
"You!" Kanryuu shouted pointing his finger at her, "step forward." He said, like it was a command. She took little steps, trying to stay the farthest she could away from him. He was so ugly and money hungry that she already hated him. She bowed her head so he wouldn't see her slightly angry face.   
  
Kanryuu expected her from head to toe, "hmm...." He hummed making her more nervous. "Hmpf... Not perfect but you can amuse me... Your accepted." He said. She wanted to jump up and down from accomplishing her first task but then she wanted to cry for help of being accepted as a prostitute. She moved to stand next to the few other women that were accepted, who were much taller then her.   
  
He dismissed the other women who didn't make it, who all huffed on their way out. "You may go to your quarters." Kanryuu told them. Kaoru followed the other girls to the sleeping quarters they were assigned to. While they went into theirs, Kaoru merely stepped inside and pocked her head back out in the hallway. She saw Kanryuu go to, what appeared to be, his room, closing the door behind him.   
  
Kaoru stepped back into the hallway and walked to the room he had just gone into. The guards that were just outside the door looked at her, "may we help you, madam?" One asked. She smiled the best she could, "may I see Kanryuu-san?" She asked. The men looked at each other and then the other man knocked on the door. "What is it?" Kanryuu asked from inside.   
  
"Kanryuu-sama, one of your women is here to see you." There was a long pause before he answered, "send her in." The men stepped out of the way, letting Kaoru step in and then they closed the door behind them. She observed the room; a huge king size bed was in the right corner of the room; a desk filled with papers and a chair next to it; some paintings were on the wall, but that was about it. She turned her attention back to him and he looked at her like he was expecting something, "why are you here?" He asked annoyingly.  
  
"Why I..." Kaoru had to think of a reason fast and she blurted out, "...I'm here to pleasure you." She had to swallow the lump in her throat that had formed and prevent herself from coughing from saying such a thing to a man like him. Kanryuu smirked an evil grin and stepped toward her. Her eyes darted from left to right as he put his hands on her shoulders, she yelped.  
  
He looked at her confusingly and she giggled nervously, "perhaps you would like a... massage?" He nodded, walking over to his bed he sat down on the edge. She followed, sitting behind him, and started to massage his shoulders.   
  
While he was enjoying himself, Kaoru grabbed a dagger from inside her obi of her kimono and was shaking nervously. She hated him, but she didn't want him or anyone dead, so even though she was suppose to kill him; she couldn't. She closed her eyes shut and managed to stab him in his right shoulder. Kanryuu screamed like a girl, jumped off the bed and turned towards her, his eyes were filled with rage, assuring her death would come soon.   
  
"You bitch! I'll have you dead in an instant!" At his words, Kaoru shivered and her eyes widened in horror, making her back up to the headboard of the bed. He snapped his fingers, indicating he wanted his guards, no footsteps were heard and nobody stepped into the room. So he snapped them again... And again, noone came. "Where the hell are my bodyguards?!"   
  
"Dead." A deep dark voice was heard, and a person stepped out of the shadows in the room. His scarlet red hair, a crossed-shaped scar on his cheek, and his ambered-color eyes were the most unique features about him.  
  
Kaoru blinked, 'when did he...?" Her thoughts were interrupted by Kanryuu's loud annoying voice, "dead?! By who?! A wimpy man like you?" He started to laugh insanely finding his own stupid humor funny.  
  
"Yeah..." The man said, making Kanryuu stop in the middle of his laughter. Sweat started to form on Kanryuu's forehead but he still didn't believe the man, "you lie! Tell me how you really got in here!" The man smirked at him and amusement shown in his eyes, "show you? Hmm... Well..."  
  
In a blink of an eye he had moved with such speed she could hardly see his movements, one second later, he appeared in front of Kanryuu and stabbed him in his head with his katana; blood spewing everywhere; and he was instantly dead. Kaoru looked on in horror and feared for her life and so while he was re-sheathing his sword, she ran out of the room as fast as her legs would go. He watched her go, 'no witnesses are to be left alive...' Those were part of his instructions, and he would follow them. He disappeared out of the lone window in the room.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
She had been threatened before with people saying they were going to take her life, mostly by the men she worked for, but never had she felt so sure that she was going to die, like she was now. She ran and ran, the fastest she had ever before, and her body wanted to slow down but her mind wanted to run more faster. As she was nearing the door it crashed open and he blocked her way. She stopped and backed up and was prepared to run the other way but he moved to fast for her and he stopped her from going that way, too.  
  
"Who are you?" He asked in an aggressive tone.   
  
"I'm... Ritsuko Kaoru." She told him, the name she had used from since she was an orphan slave.   
  
He held his katana to her throat, "you lie... Tell me your real name!" He shouted.   
  
She quivered, how he knew she was lying she did not know. "Kamiya Kaoru..."  
  
He asked some other questions, "why are you here? Why were you trying to kill Kanryuu and who sent you?"  
  
"I... I was sent here... to kill... Kanryuu." She answered him looking at him with fear in her eyes. He continued, "why?" Kaoru looked away from him, "They want him dead." He drew the katana all the way to her throat, "who are they?!" Kaoru shut her eyes tight and managed to stutter , "one of the most powerful yakuza... in Japan, led by Hiroshi... Jiro..."   
  
He looked at her with no change of expression. He had manslayer eyes, ones that men who were cold-hearted blood thirsty killers possessed. He then removed his katana from her throat and placed it back in it's sheath with a clicking sound. Causing her to let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding. He stared at her for a few moments, like he was thinking, deeply. She felt nervousness come over her and so she began to fidget her fingers.  
  
He was about to say something when he heard shouts coming from outside.   
  
"They're all dead?!" He heard someone ask.  
  
"Who could have done this?!" Another asked.  
  
"SURVEY THE AREA! Do a full search of anything with-in five miles! Squad four will come with me to investigate the mansion and find Kanryuu-san!" A man spoke, most likely the leader.  
  
They were away from the mansion, so they hadn't taken notice to Kaoru or this man. He seemed to be calculating how many men there were outside, until he turned towards her and effortlessly picked her up into his arms.   
  
"Ah! Just what do you think your doing?!" She practically yelled.  
  
"Er... Shut up woman! They'll hear you!" He told her in a commanding voice. His intense gaze on her sending shivers down her spin, making her unconsciously nod to his command.  
  
Before the men reached the mansion any further, he began to run, and she latched her arms on to his neck to make sure she wouldn't fall. He ran towards the nearby forest and blended in to the darkness. For all the men knew, in their eyes, he had never been here before.  
  
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Information on Japanese customs:  
  
Names: There are several ways of addressing Japanese people. The most comman is -san which is roughly equivalent to 'Mr,' 'Mrs,' or 'Miss' and is added as a suffix to either someone's given name or family name. The more polite version of -san is -sama addresses. In Japan, it's common practice to use the surname, particularly in business and when speaking to people of a higher rank. The given name is used almost exclusively with friends or family. The Japanese always write the family name before the given name. In the work place, senior staff are almost always addressed by their job title (rather than their name). The job title with the polite suffix -san is used if they are being addressed by their subordinates or people who do not know them... The same applies to teachers, doctors, dentists, or very senior persons who are addressed either as sensei (literally: teacher) or by using the surname followed by sensei. People in certain occupations can be addressed by their occupation plus -san... Children up to about ten years of age can be addressed by their given name, often abbreviated, with the suffix -chan (a diminutive of -san). As they grow older, people will tend to address them using their surname and -san; this form of address becomes standard after they leave high school and enter work or embark on further study; the suffix -kun is sometimes preferred if a senior person is speaking to a junior.  
  
-This information taken from "Japanese, A rough guide dictionary phrase-book" Online information about Rough Guides can be found at their website www.roughguides.com  
  
Words from Nanakilover/Brukaoru (Author): Hello everyone! I hope you've enjoyed this chapter, for there are more to come. The above information on Japanese customs, do you want me to continue giving you information? Please review and tell me, that way I know if I should spend time writing it or not. Thanks, dewa mata! (See you again!).  
  
Disclaimer (so no one will sue me): Creator Nobuhiro Watsuki has all the rights to Rurouni Kenshin. If you want to sue me, try everyone else who has made a fanfic first. 


	2. It dragged on forever

'...' = Thoughts "..." = Speaking `~`~`~' = Dreaming  
  
  
  
[Information containing anything to do with the Japanese customs I use in this story will be at the bottom of the chapters. Definition of Japanese words at bottom. Author responses to any reviews will be put on the bottom of chapters in the future also.]  
  
~*~*~*~   
  
Chapter 2: ...It dragged on forever...  
  
He had been running for over an hour until he finally started to slow down, knowing that he had long ago passed any men with in a five-mile range. Kaoru had some how found comfort in his arms and had fallen fast asleep. He stopped at a clearing, a small spot surrounded by trees. Fireflies circled around making the grass show it's true color. He sat her down, leaned his back on a tree and pulled her to his chest making her yawn softly. Taking both of his sheath's out of his hakama, he sat them down on the grass with a thud, forcing a nearby firefly to fly off the grass blade it was occupying.   
  
He looked down at Kaoru, 'who would send her to kill Kanryuu? She looks like she couldn't kill a firefly. Maybe I'll take the time to find out who this Hiroshi Jiro is before I kill her.' He let his head hang down, a position he had gotten used to resting in. Before he let his eyes droop close he saw a firefly glow on to Kaoru's face.   
  
  
  
`~`~`~`He had stopped just for a moment and gazed longingly at a lone firefly flying around him, the glow from it making his bright-violet eyes lighten in the pitch blackness of the night.   
  
"Shinta!" A gruff voice called, obviously annoyed.  
  
He turned around, slightly wincing at his own stupidity for stopping to gaze at a firefly. "Hai, Taro-sama?"  
  
"It's shishou to you, boy!" Taro yelled kicking him in the stomach making him fall to the ground.  
  
"Stop!... Stop it!" A female voice yelled, kneeling down to him to help him up. He spat up a little blood and got up with her help.  
  
"Tari-san! What on earth are you doing?!" She yelled at Taro. Wiping the blood off Shinta's mouth, with a spare cloth she had.  
  
"Er! Akane, the boy was just standing there! We're moving here and we don't have time to waste!" Taro yelled, while two other women ran to see what the argument was about.  
  
"Oh! Taro-san... Did you hurt Shinta again?!" One of the women asked looking at the boy sadly.  
  
"Kasumi, Sukura! We are supposed to be moving here! We need to get going!" Taro demanded.  
  
"Taro, we've been traveling for hours now, we can take a break here." Akane said putting her hands on her hips. Taro grunted and walked away. When he went away, Shinta looked up at the girls and then looked down at the ground.   
  
"Domo sumimasen... I just..."   
  
"Spaced out?" Kasumi asked.  
  
"I was admiring the fireflies." He said, looking back up from the ground and staring at a firefly.  
  
Sakura smiled, "they are very pretty."  
  
He sighed, "I didn't mean to cause any harm."  
  
"Shinta," Akane called making him look up at her. "You need not worry about causing harm. Taro-san is just a conceded jerk and only cares about himself."  
  
Sakura and Kasumi nodded.   
  
"Yeah! So let's go now, Shinta..." Sakura said smiling and taking him back to the rest of the group...`~`~`~`  
  
He felt something stir and move slightly in his arms causing him to open his eyes for a moment and blink until he finally looked up and saw Kaoru on the opposite side of him, shivering slightly. She looked at him for a moment in curiosity, swearing to herself she had just seen his eyes go from a gentle violet to a cold-amber. He quickly got up, grabbing his katana and wakazashi and sliding them into his hakama belt. He peered down at her.  
  
"Nani... are you going to do... with me?" She asked frightened. She didn't even know who this man was, let alone what he was going to do with her.  
  
He said nothing, instead he hosted her up by gripping her shoulder's tightly and walked off, expecting her to follow him.  
  
'Where's he going?!' She looked at his retreating form and soon followed. "Hey! Before I walk with you all over Japan, I demand to know who you are!" She yelled after him but he seemed to ignore her and continue walking. She growled, the least he could do was tell her his name! They both continued their walk for what seemed forever to Kaoru, he stayed ahead of her and she followed behind. Kaoru was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't realized he had stopped and ran into the back of him.  
  
"Itai!" She said when she bumped into him rather hard. She stepped back and rubbed her head, feeling a little bruise forming. She looked around, they were on a small hill looking down at a village.   
  
"This is... Yokohama!" Kaoru exclaimed excitingly.   
  
He raised an eyebrow, "nani's so great about it?"  
  
Kaoru giggled, "oh! So many things! First they have the BEST miso soup, everything is cheaper here then in Tokyo and sometimes the yakuza I work for let me patrol this area, though I'm really shopping," she giggled again.   
  
Her giggling stopped when she felt a cold blade at her throat and she opened her eyes in shock, he was standing there with his wakazashi to her throat.   
  
He growled, "do you willingly work for the yakuza?"   
  
She swallowed past the lump in her throat, knowing if she shook her head the blade would cut her, "iie... Of course not... I was taken by them when I was a child."  
  
He removed his wakazashi and put it back in it's rightful sheath. Kaoru wiped her forehead that had formed beads of sweat on top. She shivered slightly and avoided looking at him by continuing to stare at the village.  
  
"We're going to the docks to board a ship that will travel us to Kyoto. We're not here for leisure, don't get lost and stay behind me." He ordered. She glared at him, though he had his back turned and began to walk down the hill on to the dirt road.   
  
She soon followed, 'this isn't fun.' She thought, sighing to herself and continued thinking, 'I think I was better off with Hiroshi-sama. Oh... I'm still acting like he's my shishou, but who know's where this man's going to take me... Wait a minute!' She stopped walking and stood in place while he continued walking.  
  
He felt her ki become somewhat distant and did not hear footsteps behind him anymore. He turned around and saw her just standing there glaring at him. He used his speed to get behind her, while she looked around seeing where he went. He put his arms around her waist and pulled her to him.  
  
"I thought I said for you to stay behind me..." He growled looking at her.   
  
She turned around and pouted, "I realized something."  
  
He looked unamused but she kept talking anyway, "I need to know if your going to kill me. Because the yakuza will come looking for me sooner or later, and will kill me if I don't return. They know it would be suspicious that I just happened to leave after supposedly killing Kanryuu and would probably think I hired someone to kill him for me, and I just ran off."  
  
He said nothing after several minutes passed by, "well?" She tempted again.  
  
He sighed, "listen, woman," he said sternly. "Im taking you to Kyoto, I have more important things to worry about then you, so right now I'll let you live."  
  
Her eyes brightened and she was about to smile when he turned his back towards her and said, "but don't get your hopes up."  
  
She pouted and knitted her brows together and followed him again.  
  
~*~*~  
  
They reached the docks as a few people were boarding and Kaoru saw a man standing there accepting tickets.   
  
"Do you have two tickets?" Kaoru asked, but was ignored again. She sighed. He walked over to the man and she stood behind him.  
  
"I have a passenger with me today, how much will it be?" He asked.  
  
"Oh, nothing for you sir, nothing at all. Free of charge!" The man said. He nodded and walked on to the ship.   
  
Kaoru followed him after telling the man, "honto ni arigato gozaimas!" She got a friendly smile and a "ja ne," from the man.  
  
As soon as she stepped on to the ship she looked around for him and found him leaning against the ship's railing with his eyes closed. She stomped over to him very loudly with an angry expression on her face. As soon as she got close to him she bursted out,  
  
"Nani's wrong with you?! That man didn't make you pay and you didn't even thank him!"   
  
He opened his eyes and glared at her, "I don't have to thank anyone."  
  
That didn't make her stop talking, "You just don't appreciate what people do for you! Your selfish!" She huffed and with that, walked off to the other side of the ship to get away from him.  
  
He closed his eyes again, not caring about a word she had said.   
  
The ship started to move away from the docks and the were on there way to Kyoto.  
  
~*~*~  
  
She rested her elbows against the railing of the ship and looked out into the sea. 'How am I going to survive this trip? How long do I have travel with this man? All he tells me is where were going. He won't even tell me who he is!' She over heard some people talking and listened in, having nothing else to do.  
  
"Have you heard?" One woman asked.  
  
"About what?" Another asked.  
  
"They say a hitokiri is on this ship." The first woman replied. Kaoru gasped but continued listening.  
  
"Really? Do the ships crew know?" The other woman asked.  
  
"Hai! They let him on, oddly enough he was with a woman."   
  
"He could have worked for the Ishinshisi, they never make any of their members pay. Well, do you know who he is?"  
  
The woman nodded, "hai. You'll recognize him easily, he has red hair, a crossed-shaped scar on his left cheek and a hitokiri's eyes."   
  
Kaoru froze and suddenly stopped breathing and turned in the direction of the woman to hear her last sentence,  
  
"it's the Battousai..."  
  
At her words, Kaoru fainted, the last thing she saw was the two women talking.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Kaoru opened her eyes, her vision slightly blurred and was staring at a ceiling. She blinked again and sat up, looking around. She was in a futon, obviously in a cabin with a little candle lite in the corner, bringing what little light it could to the room. She stood up, walked over to the door and opened it. It made a slight creaking noise and she looked out into the hallway. She closed the door and started to walk down the hallway.  
  
She took the steps up to the deck, where she had been earlier, and saw noone. Which was expected as it was night time, 'how long was I out?' She thought. A slight breeze made her hair blow in the wind's direction. Her ribbon was no longer in her hair making her hair move more freely. She stepped over to the same railing she had been leaning her elbows against and put her hands on them. Admiring the clearness of the sea.   
  
'If those women were telling the truth...' She turned her head toward the moon, 'then I must get away from him as soon as possible. I've heard so many rumors... He's too dangerous.' She sighed.  
  
She then heard footsteps getting louder behind her. She turned around but she saw no one, 'great. Now I'm hearing things.' She thought. An arm locked her in it's grip around her neck, and she gasped.  
  
"What a pretty thing we have here..." The voice said, laughing. She saw a knife in his hand.  
  
She did the only thing she could do... She screamed.  
  
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Japanese words:  
  
Yakuza (used in previous chapter) - Organized crime gang or the japanese mafia.  
  
Domo sumimasen - sorry: (I'm) sorry  
  
Honto ni arigato gozaimas - Thank you very much  
  
Hitokiri - Manslayer/Assassin  
  
Ja ne - cheerio  
  
Nani - What  
  
Iie - No  
  
Shishou - Master  
  
Katana - Long sword  
  
Wakazashi - Short sword  
  
Information on Japanese customs:  
  
Beds:  
  
Beds in Western-style hotels differ little from the ones you are used to at home. Japanese-style beds or futon consist of pliable mattresses or skiki-buton and thick quilts or kake-buton as well as pillows, makura. They are stored in cupboards during the day and spread out at night on the tatami-mat floor. If you stay in a ryokan (traditional inn), the maid will lay out your bed after you have had dinner in your room. But in a less expensive minshuk (guesthouse), bedding has to be laid out and put away by the guest.  
  
-This information taken from "Japanese, A rough guide dictionary phrase book" Online information about Rough Guides can be found at their website www.roughguides.com  
  
Words from Nanakilover/Brukaoru (Author): Thanks for the reviews, aglaia102, l3al3yanime, and chibiBattousai. Glad you all like it. My apologies chibiBattousai! Anyways, If you don't think there's enough drama or action, Soujirou will appear in the fifth chapter or sometime after and there's a huge secret to reveal! So keep reviewing so I can have more encouragement to write!   
  
Disclaimer (so no one will sue me): Creator Nobuhiro Watsuki has all the rights to Rurouni Kenshin. If you want to sue me, try everyone else who has made a fanfic first. 


	3. Like a dream

'...' = Thoughts "..." = Speaking `~`~`~' = Dreaming/Flashback  
  
  
  
[Information containing anything to do with the Japanese customs I use in this story will be at the bottom of the chapters. Definition of Japanese words at bottom. Author responses to any reviews will be put on the bottom of chapters in the future also.]  
  
~*~*~*~   
  
Chapter 3: ...Like a dream...  
  
Kaoru was in the cabin next to him, supposedly unconscious. It was strange. The women who had yelled for help said she had just collapsed before their eyes. He was still wondering what could have made her just faint... Certainly it couldn't have been the weather, it was just enough to be called warm. When he had seen what the fuss was, he saw Kaoru laying on the deck and demanded to know what happened. The women said she had collapsed while they had been talking, something told him that the women were talkers. Talkers meant rumors being spread, and rumors usually had something about him in them. So Kaoru had fainted because she found out who he was? He almost had the urge to laugh, something he had not done since he was a mere child.  
  
After Kaoru had fainted, he had brought her back to her own cabin. He didn't think she would be to fond of the idea of them sharing a cabin together, and had managed to get the cabin next to him for his own use.  
  
He felt her ki stir and looked up at the door to his cabin, suddenly, hearing the one beside him open. Footsteps drifted down the hallway before he stood up, 'well if she thinks she can get away from me just because she knows who I am, she's mistaken.' He smirked to himself and padded across his cabin, sliding the door open and walking out in to the hallway.  
  
~*~*~  
  
He stepped on to the first step of the staircase that would take him to the deck and narrowed his eyes when he sensed a very familiar ki, which was proceeded by a scream. He moved in the blink of an eye on to the top of the deck with his katana already un-sheathed and in his hand. He turned around and saw a man holding Kaoru, with his hand gagged over her mouth and his other hand was slowly cutting the fabric of her kimono, while tears poured out of her eyes. He growled at this.   
  
The man looked up and grinned when he saw Battousai there, katana out and pointed at him in a deathly manner. He stopped in mid-way of cutting Kaoru's kimono anymore.   
  
"Well if it isn't the famous Hitokiri Battousai!" He laughed. "I had heard you would be on this ship, and I guess they were right."  
  
"What do you want Jin'eh?" Battousai's amber eyes stared at him, waiting for an explanation  
  
"To finish our fight of course! I've been searching for you for a long time, you should be grateful towards me for tracking you down! After all, I killed a lot of people to find out where you were."   
  
"And what if I wasn't on this ship After all?" He asked   
  
"Then I would have had some fun with the girl." Jin'eh said in a hungry, lustful, voice which caused Kaoru to whimper at the meaning implied in his voice.  
  
Battousai charged at top speed towards him, and Jin'eh quickly let go of Kaoru. Jin'eh had his katana blocking Battousai's before Kaoru had even made contact with the floor of the deck. Her hands were placed firmly on the deck and her leg crossed over the other, as she leaned against the railing of the ship. She watched in horror and pulled her legs to her chest to seek the least amount of comfort before she started sobbing into the sleeves of her kimono.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Their swords clanked together, rubbing against each other's blades so hard that it caused some sparks to fly. As Battousai dodged quickly from one of Jin'eh's attacks, he prepared himself to use a Ryu-son-sen but Jin'eh used his Shin no ippou hyouki which delayed him in doing so. Taking the chance, Jin'eh struck, but was too late as Battousai had already warded off the spell and had jumped into the air, causing Jin'eh to strike at nothing but thin air. Jin'eh watched as Battousai landed a distance away from him and got into the posture of using a batto-jutsu technique.  
  
Jin'eh smiled happily, "still quite the fighter, I see. Well I'm certainly glad the revolution hasn't changed your fighting abilities!"   
  
"The revolution will not stop me from killing dirty bastards like you." He said in a flat, emotionless tone.  
  
Jin'eh laughed heartily, "come now, Battousai. If I am what you are implying, then aren't you applying yourself as being one also?"  
  
"I'm not as crazed as you, killing your own squad of men in the Shinsengumi." He said, making a statement of pure fact.  
  
"Those weak members deserved to be killed, Battousai!" Jin'eh said.  
  
Nothing else was said, their eyes locked, each preparing their next move as Jin'eh was thinking of a way to deflect his batto-jutsu. As they both knew what move to use, they charged into battle at the same time. Battousai drew his katana with god-like speed but missed and lost the effect of executing the batto-jutsu, as Jin'eh had dodged it, Jin'eh prepared to attack with the chance that was lingering there and was than hit on the right arm by Battousai's sheath and fell to the floor.   
  
'Kuso! A double batto-jutsu?!' Jin'eh cursed in his mind, falling to the floor.  
  
"Sou-ryu-sen-kaminori... Certainly you of all people should know that I have mastered all the techniques of batto-jutsu, including that one..." Battousai re-sheathed his katana back into it's rightful scubbard.   
  
Jin'eh spit out some blood before laughing, "well, Battousai... I was the one who wanted our rematch... Finish me off."   
  
Battousai walked over to him, taking his katana out of it's scubbard for one last blow, "as you wish..." He held his sword high, and then stabbed Jin'eh in his heart. Killing him instantly.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Kaoru didn't hear him come over to her, as she was still sobbing uncontrollably in to the sleeves of her kimono. He placed his right hand on her shoulder and she shot her head up quickly, cold-hearted amber orbs met melting azure ones. Her tears flowed down her cheeks in streams she could not control. She did something even he didn't expect, she pulled him close to her and cried into his chest...  
  
He stiffened. He had not had such close contact, much less hugged, by anyone since...  
  
`~`~`~` "Shinta..." Akane cried out, holding him closer to her. While Sakura, on the other side of Shinta, tried to block his vision, so he wouldn't have to see the murder taking place right before them.  
  
"Shinta..." Akane cried out again, hearing the screams of the one's who were being slaughtered right before them.  
  
While traveling, a group of bandits, which whom they had crossed paths with before, had gone on a rampage and had started murdering them one by one. There were only a few of them left, including Akane, Sakura, and Shinta.  
  
"You've got to live, Shinta, no matter what... You've got to live..." Akane cried out before being released from her hold on Shinta and being slaughtered right before him... `~`~`~`  
  
His bangs brushed over his eyes, covering them from view. He let her move her arms around his neck and picked her up gently. He went back down the stairs, where everyone on the ship rested peacefully, unbeknownst to them that anything had taken place on the ship tonight. Her sobs were muffled while she cried into his shoulder, making his gi considerably wet. He opened the cabin's door that led to her room by kicking it open, with force that caused the door to smack against the wall and shake a picture frame that hung on it.  
  
He took her arms off his neck, leaning down, he placed her on the futon. She rolled over and cried into the pillow. He stood up to leave, knowing he would have to remove the trace of blood from being on the ship, as he had already thrown Jin'eh's body off the ship and so it could sink to the bottom of the sea. He turned around, but only moved a step as a hand tugged on his hakama tightly...  
  
"Don't... leave..." Kaoru begged hoarsely.  
  
"I have to clean up the-" He started,  
  
"Onegai?" She begged again.  
  
"I-"   
  
"Just until I fall asleep? Onegai?" She couldn't let him leave, no matter what, she just couldn't. She didn't understand why but she felt that she needed him here, by her at any cost.  
  
He removed her hands from his hakama, and she almost cried out before she looked up at him. She thought he would leave, but he slumped against the wall near her, resting his swords on his shoulder and looked at her...  
  
"Go to sleep," he said sternly. She rested her head back down on to the futon, pulling the covers to her neck and regained control over her crying...  
  
Eventually, exhausted, sleep washed over her. When he was sure she was asleep, he moved silently from the room leaving her content in her dreams.  
  
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Japanese words:  
  
Hitokiri - Manslayer/Assassin  
  
Nani - What  
  
Onegai - Please  
  
Iie - No  
  
Katana - Long sword  
  
Wakazashi - Short sword  
  
Words from Nanakilover/Brukaoru (Author): Thanks for the reviews, aglaia102, kenshinfreak9791 (wow what a compliment!), Mika, ReinaQueen, and l3al3yanime! Sorry it took so long, but I'm trying to get my website up. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review, thanks!  
  
Disclaimer (so no one will sue me): Creator Nobuhiro Watsuki has all the rights to Rurouni Kenshin. If you want to sue me, try everyone else who has made a fanfic first. 


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